Petition to axe new 20mph speed limit in Wales gains over 150,000 signatures

Over 150,000 people have now signed a petition calling on the Welsh government to axe the new 20mph speed limit – in what might be the biggest single public engagement with Senedd related activity outside of elections.

The controversial new law, which has seen the majority of 30mph roads change to 20mph, has been in place across Wales for just three days.

In the last 24 hours more than 100,000 people have put their name to the petition, which has shot up from 50,000 on Monday afternoon up to 152,000 at the time of writing.

The Welsh government’s petitions committee will discuss any petition over 250 signatures, whilst those with over 10,000 signatures will be considered for debate.

5564 people who have provided a Wrexham postcode have so far signed the petition, along with 4580 from Clwyd South.

However not all signatures are from Wales, with people reporting to be from the Vatican City, India, Spain, Africa, Germany also signing the petition.

There are also 4005 signatures from people providing an English postcode – with no checks on the data submitted, nor limits on how many times people – or entities – can ‘sign’ the petition. Wrexham.com is aware of the petition being shared on at least one forum with an encouragement for people to place any Welsh postcode on the form.

On Sunday 17 September,Wales became the first in the UK to introduce a default 20mph speed limit on most residential roads, transitioning from the current 30mph. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

Research from Welsh Government shows the 20mph default speed limit could save £92m a year by reducing the number of deaths and injuries ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

Exemptions from the law have been left to local authorities, with just 10 put forward by Wrexham Council.

As we reported yesterday the law has been one of the most controversial put forward by the Welsh government, despite featuring as a key policy in the Welsh Labour manifesto at the 2021 Senedd election – and other parties also mentioning speed limit reductions as policies.

The Welsh Labour manifesto made 12 ‘promises to Wales’, with number number 9 promising to “Make 20mph the default speed limit in residential areas and ban pavement parking wherever possible.”

Commenting on the news that a Senedd petition calling for the Welsh Government to rescind and remove the 20mph law, has now passed 150,000 signatures, a Senedd petition record, Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS said: “For more than 150,000 people to sign a petition within such a short space of time highlights the extent of public outrage towards Labour’s disastrous policy.

“Labour and Plaid Cymru have refused to listen to public opinion and are continuing to wage their anti-worker, anti-road and anti-motorist agenda.

“Labour can still U-turn on this disastrous rollout and deliver what Wales wants by scrapping blanket 20mph zones across Wales.

“With little to no consultation from the public, the people of Wales are using this petition to send a clear message to Labour in Cardiff Bay – they have had enough of this socialist agenda and are tired of being dictated to.”